itr 


UC-NRLF 


So.   1870 


METHOD  OF  INVESTIGATION 
AND  TEST  OF 

SMOKELESS  POWDER 

FOR  SMALL  ARMS  AND  CANNOtf 


FEBRUARY  10,  1910 

REVISED  JULY  25,  1913 

REVISED  JANUARY  18,  1917 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1917 


No.    1870 


METHOD  OF  INVESTIGATION 
AND  TEST  OF 

SMOKELESS  POWDER 

FOR  SMALL  ARMS  AND  CANNON 


FEBRUARY  10,  1910 

REVISED  JULY  25,  1913 

REVISED  JANUARY  18,  1917 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 
1917 


METHOD  OF  INVESTIGATION  AND  TEST  OF  SMOKELESS 
POWDER   FOR   SMALL   ARMS   AND   CANNON. 


I. IM  <>l;.M.M  InX   TO  BE   Fl   l;MMM.l>   IJV   Till.    I  \  \  I  NTOR. 

1.  Form  of  granulation. 

2.  Chemical  composition  (confidential  if  desired). 

3.  Method  and  facility  of  manufacture   (confidential  if  desired) 
and  time  required  for  manufacture. 

4.  Relative  strength  or  force  as  compared  with  black  powder  or 
with  nitrocellulose  smokeless  powder ;  if  estimated,  explain  method ; 
if  determined  by  experiment,  state  how.    If  not  known,  so  statr. 

5.  Results  of  tests,  if  any,  that  have  been  made  to  show— 

(a)  Safety  in  handling. 

(b)  Keeping  qualities  under  exposure  to  moisture,  heat,  cold,  and 
continued  storage. 

6.  Actual  firing  tests  from  guns,  if  any. 

NOTE. — Concise  answers  under  the  separate  headings  are  desired. 

II. LABORATORY  EXAMINATION   TO   BE   MADE. 

Make  as  many  of  the  following  tests  as  are  applicable  to  the 
powder  submitted: 

1.  Make  complete  quantitative  chemical  analysis,  and  determine 
calculated  force  and  temperature  of  explosion. 

2.  Analyze  the  products  of  combustion. 

3.  If  the  chemical  analysis  indicates  a  possibility  of  detonation, 
determine  this  by  exploding  successive  samples  of  the  powder,  using 
detonators  of  increasing  strength. 

4.  Determine  sensitiveness  to  shock  and  friction  as  compared  with 
nitrocellulose  smokeless  powder  by  firing  bullets  at  varying  velocities 
through  layers  of  varying  thickness,  depending  upon  the  granulation 
of  the  powder. 

5.  Determine  specific  gravity  and  gravimetric  density. 

6.  Note  hygroscopic  qualities. 

7.  Determine  residue  from  flash  and  mineral  ash  as  approximate 
measures  of  fouling  qualities. 

8.  Determine  degree  of  smokelessness  as  compared  with  nitro<vl- 
lulose  smokeless  powder. 

77800—17  '  •"  ' 


iX9,  Determine  sh'l>ilit\  by  making  as  manj^  of  the  following  service 
!itv  teFts  i'or  ^Mokeless  powder,  or  modifications  thereof,  as  the 
composition  of  the  powder  submitted  will  permit  of— 
(a)  K.  I.  starch  test  at  65.5°  C.  and  82°  C. 
(Z>)   135°  German  test  (run  for  5  hours). 
(<?)   115°  Ordnance  Department  test. 

(d)  Surveillance  test  at  65.5°  and  80°   (carry  to  red  fumes  or  ex- 
plosion). 

(e)  Surveillance  test  at  40°  C.  (carry  to  whitening  of  X/10  M.  V. 
paper). 

10.  Determine  temperature  of  ignition. 

11.  Determine  the  melting  point,  if  any,  or  if  the  powder  is  a 
mechanical  mixture  of  chemical  compounds   some   of  which  have 
melting  points,  determine  them. 

12.  If  powder  is  for  cannon  of  3-inch  or  greater  caliber,  determine 
the  toughness  of  the  grains  by  making  a  compression  test  on  grains 
cut  so  that  the  length  is  equal  to  the  diameter,  and  by  side-impact  test. 

13.  Determine  the  rapidity  of  burning  in  open  air  as  compared 
with  that  of  nitrocellulose  smokeless  powder. 

III. GENERAL  REQUIREMENTS. 

A  satisfactory  powder  for  small  arms  and  cannon  should  comply 
with  the  following  requirements: 

SAFETY   AND    I  X  S  K  N  S  LT  I  YENESS. 

1.  Should  be  reasonably  safe  in  manufacture  and  free  from  very 
injurious  effects  upon  the  operatives. 

2.  Should  not  be  very  much  more  sensitive  to  ignition  by  bullets 
fired  into  it  than  nitrocellulose  powder. 

3.  Should  be  incapable  of  detonation  by  the  strongest  detonator. 

4.  Should  not  produce  any  more  erosion  of  the  bore  than  produced 
by  the  present  nitrocellulose  smokeless  powTders. 

5.  When  a  grain  or  a  cylinder  of  the  powder  is  cut  so  that  its  length 
is  equal  to  its  diameter,  and  is  then  compressed  along  its  axis,  no 
cracks  should  appear  before  the  total  compression  is  35  per  cent  of 
the  original  length.  - 

6.  The  powder  should  not  show  undue  brittleness  by  any  other 
established  test. 

7.  The  rapidity  of  burning  of  the  powder  when  ignited  in  the  open 
air  should  not  be  very  much  greater  than  that  of  nitrocellulose 
powder  of  similar  granulation. 

8.  The  products  of  combustion  must  not  be  poisonous  to  an  objec- 
tionable degree. 

BALLISTIC  REQUIREMENTS. 

1.  The  powder  must,  with  proper  granulation,  be  capable  of  giving 
at  least  the  adopted  muzzle  velocities,  in  all  the  service  guns,  within 
the  maximum  pressures  prescribed  for  them. 


'2.  Tht>  heating  of  the  BBTvice  guns  when  tired  with  the  adopted 
mu//le  velocities  must  ,H,t  be  greater  than  that  produced  under  lik- 
conditions  liy  nitrocellulose  powder. 

:'.  The  powder  must  be  pr  ict  icall  y  siuokele».  and  mu>t  not  unduly 
foul  the  bore. 

-I.    It  must  not  require  an  unduly  Mroni:  primer  for  iirnition. 

5.  The  products  of  combustion  must  have  no  more  ehemical  art  ion 
on  metals  than  those  of  nitrocellulose  powder. 

STABILITY. 

The  following  are  minima  requirements  (longer  tests  highly  de- 
arable)  : 

1.  The  powder  nm.M  not  explode  in  le>s  than  five  hours  when  sub- 
jected to  the  135°  German  test. 

•J.  The  powder  must  not  give  red  fumes  nor  explode  in  less  than 
*'>"  days  when  subjected  to  the  surveillance  test  at  r>:,.:>°  C. 

3.  The  powder  must  not  give  red  fumes  nor  explode  in  less  than 
30  days  when  subjected  to  the  surveillance  test  at  80°  C.  nor  whiten 
the  X  In  M.  V.  paper  in  less  than  60  days  when  subjected  to  the  sur- 
veillance te-t  at  in  C. 

I.  After  prolonged  storage  at  the  ordinary  temperature  the  pow- 
der must  show  no  marked  loss  in  stability  as  measured  by  the  pre- 
ceding tests  nor  any  material  cbange  in  the  charge-velocity-pressure 
relations. 

5.  The  powder  must  show  no  marked  change  in  any  of  its  charac- 
teristics between  temperatures  of  —15°  C.  and  +50°  C. 

I-.  The  powder  must  be  practically  nonhygroscopic.  If  the  powder 
contains  any  ingredients  soluble  in  water,  it  should  be  definitely 
stated 

(J.NKKAI.. 


of  raw  material.  —  It  should  be  possible  to  secure  all  the  raw 
materials  entering  the  powder  in  this  country  without  undue  delay 
and  at  a  reasonable  cost. 

Grun'iltit'ton.  —  It  is  desirable,  but  not  essential,  that  the  powder 
permit  being  granulated  in  such  a  way  that  the  burning  surface  of  a 
Hi  a  in  increases  with  the  proportion  of  the  grain  burnt. 

loading*'  -^Vlien  granulated  for  small  arms,  the  powder 
be  capable  of  being  machine  loaded. 


\V.\K    I  >KI'Ai:i  V 

QrWU  i.  <>i    mi:  <'HIKI    0V  <  >i;i.\  \ 

Wiixliiiiiitim.  Jtninary  18,  1917. 

IVi.runry    in.    l'.H«i. 

.Inlv   25,    T.H3. 
-.ii.irv    18,    I'.'IT. 

F..UM    NO.    1^7". 

K.I.   JMII.    1»      IT       1.  ...... 

062.1/1!'  \o.  1870. 


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